Sealing cap for barrel bushing and screw plug assemblies



Nov. 29, 1938. D. w. cuns v 2,137,999

SEALIISG CAP FOR BARREL BUSHING AND. SCREW PLUG ASSEMBLIES Filed July 6, 1936 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR;

/ATTORNEY.

Nov. 29, 1938. D. w cum-1s 2,137,999

SEALING CAP FOR BARREL BUSHING AND SCREW P LUG ASSEMBL LES Filed July 6, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEALING CAP FOR BARREL BUSHING AND SCREW PLUG ASSEMBLIES David W. Curtis, St.

Louis, Mo., assignor to 7 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to metallic barrels, and like containers fitted for the storage and transportation of oils, or other liquids, and semi-liquids, and, it has particular reference to means for sealing the outer end of a closure bushing having a filling and/or discharge opening and provided with a closure plug.

The object of my invention is the provision of means comprising a snap-on sealing cap for disposition over a barrel bushing and plug therefor without the use of any tools, or machines, and, which will automatically lock itself to the bushing in a manner as to prevent removal thereof from the bushing, unless forced, and, in such instance be readily detectable. V

A further object of the invention resides in a sealing cap structure having a flexibly resilient central disc portion bulged to the lower side of a plane when the cap is open, and yieldable, under pressure, said cap having skirt means gripped to the barrel bushing when the central disc portion is bulged to the upper side of the plane and said skirt means beingprovided with a spring wire, one end of which is anchored to a section of the skirt means and the other end free so that when the skirt means is contracted the free end of the spring wire will lock against an adjacent portion of the skirt means and thereby prevent expansion of the sealing cap skirt or its removal from a barrel bushing without the use of tools to disfigure the sealing cap.

Therefore, an object of the invention is the provision of a snap-on sealing cap, which can be applied to a barrel bushing without the use of tools of any kind, and when once positioned, cannot be removed without disfiguring portions of the cap with some kind of a tool which renders the cap readily detectable as having been tampered with.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a sealing cap for barrel bushing and screw plug assembly, which possesses advantages in points of simplicity and efficiency, and, at the same time proves itself comparatively inexpensive in cost of manufacture.

With the above and other objects in view, which will be apparent hereinafter, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, ar-

rangement and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and finally pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, wherein like characters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of barrel bushing, screw plug and sealing cap assembly embodying the features of my invention, the sealing cap being shown in closed and locked position.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the invention, with a portion of the sealing cap top broken away.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the sealing cap mounted to cover the barrel bushing, bead and screw plug carried by the bushing.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the sealing cap showing the top portion thereof bulged downwardly to spread the free ends of the skirt fingers.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a sealing cap with the gripping skirt fingers expanded and the sleeve portions thereof in sectional elevation to show one form of split circular flexibly resilient locking member carried thereby in its unlocked or expanded position.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the skirt fingers in closed position and the free end of the locking member as in locked engagement with one end of one of the skirt fingers sleeves to prevent the skirt fingers from spreading.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the split circular flexible resilient locking member.

Referring, now, to the drawings, a wall of a metallic container, or a barrel head I is shown provided with an opening, and, to which is secured a suitable bushing, one type of which structure is clearly defined in my co-pending application, Serial Number 82,598, and, consists, briefly, of an internally screw threaded bushing member 2 having an annular flange 3 projecting downwardly from the inner lower edge thereof.

and crimped to a horizontal flange 4 projecting inwardly from a neck 5 which projects outwardly from the barrel head I. The bushing member 2 is shown as being provided at any desired position on its outer peripheral face, with a suitable annular groove or recess 6 below a bead 1, and the bushing is also shown as provided with a suitable nut 8 provided with suitable wrench engaging means carried by the internal screw threads of the bushing and serving as a closure for the filling and/or discharge opening.

The sealing cap, or closure member for disposition over'the barrel bushing and the screw plug therefor will now be described.

The sealing cap is shown as comprising a central flexibly resilient disc portion 9 normally bulged to one side of a plane and from the edge portion thereof, there is a skirt portion consisting of a series of gripping fingers l0 formed by slitting the cap material, as at H.

The lower edges 'of skirt fingers ill are curved inwardly to provide sleeves I2 for a suitable split circular flexibly resilient locking member !3, such, for instance, as a spring Wire or band to pass through. One end of the locking member I3 is suitably anchored, as at I4, to the sleeve portion of one of the skirt fingers l0 and the opposite end of the member I 3 is free to move circumferentially so that when the central disc portion of the sealing cap is bulged upwardly beyond a plane the skirt fingers Ill at their free ends will move inwardly toward the center of the sealing cap, thereby reducing the diameter of the locking member l3 and the mouth of the sealing cap. In so doing, the free end of the locking member l3 will slide out of one end of the sleeve portion I2 of a skirt finger l0 adjacent or next to the skirt finger H] to which the opposite end of the locking member I 3 is anchored, and, as the free end of the locking member l3 moves out of the end of the sleeve portion of said skirt finger the hooked end l5 thereof engages the end I 6 of the sleeve to lock the snap-on sealing cap in position on the bushing over the plug therein. When thus locked in position, over the end of the bushing, it cannot beremoved without disfiguring the fingers with a tool of some kind, and, in such an instance, it can be readily detected that the sealing cap has been tampered with.

The sealing cap is applied to the bushing after the central disc portion 9 of the cap is bulged downwardly, which spreads or expands the free ends of the skirt fingers IE! to increase the size of the mouth of the cap to a diameter to slip over the bead I on the bushing. Now, so positioned, to close the skirt fingers H] around the bushing and bead, one merely applies finger pressure to the skirt fingers and the sleeve portions of the skirt fingers will snap into engagement with the groove 6 on the outer bushing wall, thereby locking the cap in position over the bushing, bead and screw plug. This closing function of the cap draws the edge portion of the central disc portion of the sealing cap down tightly against a suitable gasket ll disposed between the cap disc portion and the outer end face of bushing adjacent the bushing bead, and effects a leak proof joint therebetween.

The sealing cap can be snapped into'locked position on thebushing,.but it cannot be removed without tools to disfigure the skirt fingers.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the snap-on sealing cap can be used in connection with barrel head or body bushings of other design than that disclosed herein, or in my co-pending application as long as the bushing is provided with a bushing bead and groove or recess therebelow to accommodate the inwardly curved or inwardly turned free ends of the sealing cap skirt fingers, and when of the latter type the bushing plug has a portion to prevent the downward bulging of the central portion of the cap when it is once applied to the bushing.

The spring wire locking means in the first described form of the invention prevents the central disc portion of the sealing cap from being bulged downwardly and removed from the bushing when once applied thereto and the plug portion in the modified form of the invention prevents the central disc portion of the sealing cap from being bulged downwardly and removed from the bushing when once applied thereto.

The many advantages of the herein described invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that a simple device for this purpose has been disclosed, but it is to be understood that I do not desire to restrict, or limit myself to the very details of the construction shown and described, which is merely illustrative, it being obvious that changes, not involving the exercise of invention, may be made without conflicting or departing from the spirit of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a metal barrel fitted witha bushing having a peripheral-bead and provided with a screw plug, of a snap-on sealing cap therefor having a series of contractible skirt fingers to engage the bushing below the bead and circumferentially contractible means engaging the inner walls of the fingers for locking the cap in position.

2. A sealing cap of the class described comprising a flexibly resilient body portion, a series of expandible and contractible skirt fingers, and circumferentially contractible means connected to the inner surface of the skirt fingers to lock the skirt fingers in contracted position.

3. A sealing cap of the class described comprising a flexibly resilient body portion, a series of expandible and contractible skirt fingers, the lower ends of the skirt fingers being rolled inwardly, a split flexibly resilient wire ring secured at one end to one of the skirt fingers and mounted in the rolled lower ends of the other fingers, a hook formed at the opposite end of the split ring adapted for engagement with one of the side edges of the rolled lower ends of the skirt finger adjacent the finger to which the ring is secured'for locking the skirt fingers in contracted position.

4:. In combination with a container plug bushing having an exterior circumferential groove, of a sealing cap adapted to be snapped into locked position on the bushing, said cap comprising a flexible resilient body portion and a series of ex pandible and contractible skirt fingers which when in their expanded position permit the cap to be mounted on the bushing, the lower edges of the skirt fingers being directed inwardly, and circumferentially expandible and contractible means carried by the skirt fingers on their inner faces thereof for locking the skirt fingers in their contracted position with the inwardly directed ing groove.

5. In combination with a snap-on sealing cap having a flexibly resilient body portion and a series of expandible and contractible skirt fingers, of circumferentially expandible and contractible means'connected to the inner faces of the skirt fingers adjacent the lower ends thereof to lock the skirt fingers in contracted position.

6. The combination with a metal barrel fitted with a bushing and ascrewplug therefor, of a sealing cap adapted to be snapped into position over the bushing and screw plug, said cap including a. series of expandible and contractible skirt fingers, and circumferentially contractible means connected to the inner surface of the fingers to lock the fingers in contracted position for locking the cap against removal on the bushing without disfiguring the cap.

'7. In a structure of theclass described, a container fitted with a bushing secured at its lower end to the container, said bushing-having an outer peripheral head by grooving the bushing, a plug carried by the bushing, a sealing cap snapped into position and covering the outer end of the bushing and the plug, the cap including a series of expandible and contractible skirt fingers with the free lower edges thereof engageable in the bushing groove when a central disc portion of the cap is bulged upwardly, and circumferentially contractible means connected on the inner surface of the fingers to lock the fingers in contracted position and to prevent the central disc portion of the cap being bulged downwardly.

' DAVID W. CURTIS.

Ad lower ends of the skirt fingers seated'in the bush- 

